Rep. McCarthy: Creating New Pact With Americans

Republicans plan to take a page from the successful 1994 Contract with America and formulate a new statement telling the American people what they will do differently if they retake Congress this fall, Rep. Kevin McCarthy tells Newsmax.TV.

GOP leaders tapped the California Republican, the party’s top deputy whip in the House, to spearhead the creation of what they call the “Commitment to America.”

To see the video of Newsmax's conversation with McCarthy — Click Here.

Unlike the 1994 document that then-House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich developed with close advisers in Washington, the new statement will be formulated with input from people around the country.

“The idea is to have discussions across this country about how Washington needs to change,” McCarthy told Newsmax.TV’s Kathleen Walter. “And we are going to be out there talking to people ̶ many of the candidates and the challengers are going to be out there submitting the ideas in the plan.

“And you will see as we progress further in this campaign what the commitment will be to change Washington from America.”

The plan probably will target hot-button issues such as out-of-control spending, the lack of transparency, jobs, national security, and tort reform, among others.

McCarthy said he sees the new commitment will help Republicans persuade the American people that they will be more responsive to their needs than the Democratic majority has been.

The secrecy in crafting healthcare reform has created a backlash against their policies, and Republicans hope to capitalize on this anger in their bid to retake the House.

The Democrats’ handling of healthcare reform gave Republican Scott Brown a huge boost in his Massachusetts Senate race because his promise of accountability helped spur independents to vote for him.

As a result, he raised more than $12 million on the Internet and won in a majority of the state’s 10 congressional districts, even though they all have Democratic representatives in the House.

The Republicans' attitude about their prospects to retake the majority stand significantly brighter than they did in early 1994 when Gingrich stood virtually alone in his belief that the GOP could gain control of the House.

“I believe Republicans can take Congress back, and we’ve got a long way to go yet to get there,” McCarthy said.

Republicans need to state their commitment to the American people to take the nation in a new direction that will be transparent, accountable, and bring spending under control to win, he said.

To see the video of Newsmax's conversation with McCarthy — Click Here.